Improved apparatus for separating fibers of flax, hemp



ilivrrip STATES PATENT Gratien.

JIM B.`FULLER, OF GLAREMONT, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND JAMESP. UPHAM, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SEPARATlNG FIBERS OF FLAX, HEIVIP, dc.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. L11,812, dated March 1, 1864.

.To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JIM B. FULLER, of Glare mont, in the county of Sullivan and State of New Hampshire, have invented, made, and applied to use a certain new and useful Improvement in Means for Separating Fibers for PaperStock, &c.; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the said invention, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, wherein- Figure lis a vertical section of my improved apparatus, and Fig. 2 is a plan ofthe same.

Similar marks of reference denote the same parts. v

Vegetable materialssuch as straw, wood, &c.-have heretofore been separated and reduced by the action of heat and water and bya grinding operation, as may be seen in Let.-

ters Patent granted to me November 17 1863. Such vegetable materials have also been cured in a closed vessel by heat and pressure. This, however, involved the necessity of separate charges introduced `in such vessels, and pre eluded the use of a continuous operation, and no provision was made for subjecting the material to a second curing operation in case the first was insufficient.

The nature of my said invention consists, iirst, in a means for supplying the straw 0r other vegetable material to the curing-vessel without lessening the steam pressure employed in such vessel, whereby a constant curing operation under pressure can be per,-

formed; second, in passing such cured material in a regulated quantity from the curingvessel into and through the grinding apparatus by means of a pump and weighted regulator that insures uniformity in the supply to the grinder; and, third, in applying superheated steam to the cured material immediately before it passes to the grinder, whereby the silicious materials are more thoroughly softened and dissolved, so as to pass away with the water employed.

In the drawings, a. is a curing-vessel, of suitable size and shape, to which steam or hot water is supplied by suitable pipes in the nec( essary quantity.

b represents the steam-pipe.

The top c of the vessel a is fitted with a feeding-slide, d, formed with a cylinder, c',

upon said slide, and this is below a fixed plate, e, carrying a hopper,f.

g is a lever by which the cylinder c and.

slide d can be moved.

The hopper j is not over the opening hin I in the head c, and hence when under this hop perf the cylinder c', will fill with the straw or other material, and the slide d will close the opening h; but when the cylinder and slide are moved (by g) the cylinder is brought over It, and its contents drop out into the curingvessel, and the plate e, covering the upper end of the cylinder c', prevents the escape of steam, from the curing-vessel, and on the reverse movement the cylinder c', is again brought beneath the hopper. In its passage, however,y

beneath a jacket, p, and acts in said vessel o to complete the curing operation, by softening all silicious materials previous to the grinding operation.

q is my grinder, that may be of any desired character, rotated by a belt or otherwise to the pulley r.

s is-a pipe leading back from the grinder to the upper part ot the curing-vessel a, so that the material may be circulated through the apparatus-more than once, if desired; or a cock I may be provided at the lower'end ofthe pipe s for drawing oi' the cured material, or 'said cured material may be drawn away by the pipe t at the lower part of va.

The pump -n is to be worked by suitable mechanism, and should have valves iitted to slide or turn, and also worked automatically, and the regulator u, adjoining the pump, is formed as a cylinder, with a weighted plunger that rises when the pump is operative, and keeps up the supply to the grinder by its descent, while the return or filling movement ot' the pump takes place.

The curingvessel 0, in which snperheated steam is applied, may be varied in shape so long as tlleobjeet desired is attained-n amel y, of' completing the softening operation by the superheated steam in the passage of the vegetable material from the rst curinglvessel to the grinder, in order that tbe said material may reach the grinder in the best condition for its separation intostock for paper, &c.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The cylinder c and slide d, in combination with the hopperf and opening l1, for` supplying the Vegetable material to the curingvessel and maintaining the pressure in said vessel, as specified.

2. The arm Z and revolving` shaft k, applied to the curing-vessel a, for the purposes and as specified.

3. Regulating the amount of material passing from the curing-vessel to the grinder by a pump, applied between said grinder and curing-vessel, as specified.

4. The plunger u, in combination with the pump or, for the purposes and as specified.

5. The curingvessel o, applied between the curing-vessel a and the grinder q, whereby superheated steam is applied to the material before grinding, for the purposes set forth.

6. The return-pipe s, connecting from the bottom of the grinder to the upper portion of the curing-vessel, for returning the ground material to the curing-vessel,for the purposes and as specied.

Dated December 26, 1863.

JIM B. FULLER.

Witnesses:

LEMUEL W. SERRELL, Trios. GEO. HAROLD. 

